Thermostatically controlled shutoff device



W. E. JENKINS THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED SHUT-OFF DEVICE June 22, 1943.

Filed Aug. 9, 1940 7. V W W m f wf/ l ZJ M M. ab Z J H 5 WM5@ a MY Patented June 22, 1943 THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED SHUTOFF DEVICE Wayne E. Jenkins, Los Angeles, Calif., assigner to Domestic Manufacturing Company, Inc., Los

Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application August 9, 1940, Serial No. 351,976

(Ci. Mln-161) 5 Claims.

The invention relates to thermostatically controlled devices and more particularly to a pilot operated thermostatic shut-01T device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a thermostatically controlled, pilot operated, shut-oil device of the character described utilizing a thermal responsive eirpansible thermostatic element which is thermally associated with a pilot burner of a heating system and which in turn controls the operation of a shut-od device such as a valve or electric switch. One ot the important features o the present invention is the provision of a structure wherein the length and speed and force of movement of the device adapted for thermostatic operation is wholly independent from the length and speed and strength of movement of the thermostatic element. In other words, the thermostatic element, though moving through a relatively small distance at a relatively slow speed and with a relatively small operating force, is nevertheless eiiective for controlling a relatively long,.fast and' powerful movement of the shut-off device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shut-oir valve of improved construction anording a positive and sure sealing of the passage with which it is used.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved bimetal thermostatic element construction wherein the elementnmay be of small size and required to move an exceedingly short distance and be subjected to a minimum operating force,

Still another object of the invention is to pro- 5. vide a thermostatically controlled pilot operated shut-off device of the character above which is unitarily and compactly constructed to support,

house and properly locate all of the necessary elements of the control including a valve and is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and formingpart of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing'and description may be adopted within the scope as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a of the invention l thermostatically controlled shut-oit device constructed in accordance with the present invent on.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device illustrated in Figure 1 and shown with a portion of the device broken away d in section.

l Fiure is a cross-sectional view of the device taken substantially on the plane of line 3 3 of Figure 2. l

The thermostatically controlled shut od mechanism of the present invention may be adapted this construction the actual movement of the shut-od device may be controlled, asin the present construction, by means of a spring or other device and the thermostatic element operates as a catch in what may be termed a trigger mechanism for releasing the shut-o device for movement by the relatively powerful spring means. In thLs manner the length and speed and force of movement of the shut-off device may be multiplied many times over the length and speed and force of movement of the thermostatio element, thus insuring a thermostatically controlled shutoff device which is positive, sure and powerful in its operation.

'With reference more specifically to the accompanying drawing, the device of the present invention is here embodied in the formof a pilotA operated gas shut-oil valve, although as will be hereinafter more clearly understood, the essential operating parts of the device may be readily adapted for use in opening or closing an electric switch or operating other mechanisms adapted for thermostatic operation. The several parts of the device are unitarily associated with and supported by a main body 6 here in the form of a casting and provided with an. internal valve chamber l divided into inlet and discharge compartments and 9 by an annular valve seat Il. The wall of the body defining the compartment 8 is open to the outside of the body and is pref-v erably threaded 'exteriorly for the receipt of a coupling nut I2 of a fitting for an inlet conduit I3, and the wall of the body denlng the outer portion of the compartment 9 is open and threaded interiorly so as to receive an end of a discharge conduit I4. As will be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the passages communicating the compartments 8 and 3 are substantially aligned so that the inlet and discharge conduits I3 and I4 connect to the opposite sides of the body.

The valve chamber itself is formed with an open portion I6 extending to the outside oil the body and which is substantially aligned with the annular seat II along an axis at substantially right angles to the axis of the inletand discharge passages. tion I6 of the body is a closure plug I1 which is formed with a central aperture I6 aligned with the seat Il. The opposite side wall I9 of the body is here formed with a boss 2l within which is formed a threaded opening 22 which is also in alignment with the seat II and closure aperture I8. Threaded into the opening 22 is an end of a tube 23 which projects outwardly from the body wall I9 in substantial alignment with the parts aforementioned. A valve actuating rod 24 is slidably mounted within the tube 23 and extends into the valve chamber centrally through the seat I I where the same is telescoped into an extension part 26, which continues through the closure aperture I6 to the exterior of the body. Preferably the rod sections 24 and 26 are held together by means of a pressed ilt. Mounted on the rod section 26 below the valve seat II, as viewedin Figures l and 2, is a valve formed with a central aperture 3l which snugly but slidably fits the rod section 26 for maintaininga seal about the rod in a closed position ofthe valve.

Means are used as above indicated for :normally urging the valve to its seated position and as here shown this means is embodied in the form of a helical spring 32 which is compressed between the under-side of the backing plate 21 and a spring rest V33 slidably mounted on the rod section 26. Preferably a sealing gasket 34 having a center aperture snugly tting the rod section 26 is mounted between the spring rest 33 and the inner side of the closure I1 for sealing off the closure aperture I8. As will be understood, the spring rest 33 is normally held in compressed position against the gasket 34 by reason of the constant compressive force inthe spring 32. In a closed position of the valve, as illustrated in Figure 2, the valve disc 29 is firmly compressed against the seat Ill by reason of the spring force operating on the .backing plate 21. I have found that the loose support of the backing plate 26 on the rod section 26, by reason ofal small clearance provided at the aperture 28, is of 'considerable importance in providing sureness and positivenessof sealing of the valve. By reason oi' this construction the backing-plate 21 yis permitted suflicient universality in its movement to insure a positive and uniform seating of the valve'disc 28, regardless of any minor misalignment or angularity of the several parts comprising thevalve assembly. I have also found that uniformity of the seal obtained may be additionally insured by ,constructing t? e'upper face 36 of the backing plate 21 with a small concavity, so that any irregularity in the thick- "ness of the valve disc 29 may be compensated Threaded in the open por- A for by a seating or nesting of the disc within the hollow concavity. Preferably, the diameter of the disc 29 is somewhat greater than the diameter .of the backing plate 21 so that the disc will overhang the periphery of the backing plate. and the diameter of' the seat II is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the backing plate so as to obtain a contact of the disc 29 within the dimensions of the concavity provided in the plate face 36. 'Ihe valve construction is more fully described and claimed in lmy copending divisional application Ser. No. 405,943, flled in the United States Patent Oillce on Aug. 8, 1941, for Thermostatically controlled gas valve.

The valve is arranged to be opened manually and for` this purpose I provide on 'the outer end 31 of the rod section 26 a finger engaging handle or knob 38, here secured to the end of the rod section 26 by means of a screw 39. An actuating connection between the rod and the valve is here obtained by means of a collar 4l which may be I pressed or otherwise secured to the rod above the valve disc 29, so that upon longitudinal displacement of the rod, that is downwardly with respect to Figures 1 and 2, by means of the knob 38, the collar 4I will be drawn against the face of the disc so as to withdraw the disc and backing plate away from the seat against the resilient actionv of spring 32. Preferably, inasmuch as the manual setting of the valve will ordinarily be effected only occasionally, I prefer to enclose the knob and outer rod portion within a casing 42 which in the present instance is threaded onto an outwardly extending flange portionl 43 of the closure I1. If desired and as here shown, a sealing gasket 44 may be mounted between the inner end of the casing 42 and the outer side of the closure so that when the casing' is threaded home against the gasket, an effective sealing off of the interiorgas passage is accomplished.

In accordancel with the present invention, lthe valve mechanism is held in an open position, as illustrated in Figure 1, by means of a thermal responsive element 46 which is designed and arranged to operate as a catch for the rod in a heated position of the element and to release the rod in a cool position of the element to permit y closing of the valveby means of the spring 32. The element 46, as will be presently described, is thermally associated with a pilot burner and nor- ;mally maintained in a heated condition by the spacer member 62 between the shoulder and the y upper end of the nut 4S. The bearing member 41 cooperates with the aperture Il in the closure I1 Afor supporting the rod adjacent its opposite ends and as here shown, the upper end 48 of the rod projects from the upper end of the bearing sleeve. 'Ihe thermostatic element here used is of the bimetal type and iscomposedot a strip having one end portion 6I anchored in place between the shoulder 6I and the upper face of the spacer member 52, the strip end 53 being apertured to receive the bearing sleeve below the shoulder. The. strip extends outwardly from the end prtion 4l approximately longitudinally, substantially parallel to the rod 48 and is formed with a hooked or onset outer end 84 which in a heated position of vthe strip overhangs and engages the end vface 58 oi the outer rod end 48 when the valve assembly is moved longitudinally to open position. The construction of the bimetal strip is such that the same will ilex the outer end 84 thereof towards the rod when the strip is heated and will ilex the end 54 away from the rod when the strip is cool. 'I'he total movement required of the strip end is only relatively slight and only need be suilicient to hook over the edge of the rod end and to retract therefrom By reason of this .small required movement, the strip may be of a relatively very small length and constructed of relatively heavy material. It will also be noted that the force exerted on the bimetal strip to hold the valve in open position is essentially longitudinally oi the strip, subjecting the latter to tensional stress which does not interfere with or oppose the expansive force couple set up by the different metals comprising the strip toproduce flexing of the-strip. Thus the force or energy necessary for operating the valve is not dependent upon the force or energy developed by the bimetal strip in flexing under the influence of temperature variations, Also as will be clear, the speed of movement of the valve is not dependent upon the speed of movement of the bimetal strip, for the latter has only to move away from the end of the rod to permit a rapid and powerful closing of the valve by the compression spring tt.

As an important feature of the present construction, tlie bimetal strip and rod end are protected from the direct impingementof the pilot flame by the housing of these members in a chamber at the end of the tube. While such a chamber may be fashioned in various ways, l prefer to use a casing 51, preferably of relatively thin metal which may conveniently be threaded directly onto the spacer member 52. Besides protecting the operating element against flame impingement, this casing also insures a sealing of any gas leakage at the outer end of the tube and bearing sleeve.

As above indicated, the pilot burner is unitarily associated with the other parts of the apparatus so as to properly position the parts in operable arrangement. As here shown, a conduit or tube 58 is threaded into a gas passage 59 provided in x the boss 2| and extends outwardly from the boss in substantially parallel relation to the tube 2.-'3. A gas Venturi constriction is preferably provided in. the tube intermediate its ends and above which is provided primary air openings 62. The outerl end of the tube is here closed by a plug 63 and a series of burner ports 64 are provided adiacent the outer end of the' tube and which are spaced and constructed so as to direct iiame against the base of casing 51 and also laterally of the casing for ignitionof a main gas burner, not shown. A gas conduit 66 for conveying gas to the pilot burner is preferably provided independent of the gas passages 8 and 9 and as will be best seen from Figure 3, this conduit may be connected to a gas inlet passage t1 communicating with the passage 59 by means of a tting- 68.

In a typical installation of the present device, the gas conduits I3 and i4 are part of the gas main leading to a main gas burner .such as may be used in a hot water heater, stove, heater, fur

thermostat or the like..

it is desirable to maintain a steady pilot flame' nace, etc., below the main gasv cock control or as to heat the bimetal strip and thereafter the casing 42 is removed andthe -valve manually opened by retraction of the knob 38 so as to cause a hooking of the thermostat element over the outer .end of the rod. Gas 'flowing through the open valve to the main burner will' then be ignited by the pilot burner. The casing 42 is then preferably replaced so as to protect the exe posed parts against accidental or wrongful manipulation. Thereafter at any subsequent time that the pilot flame should be extinguished, as for example by reason of a temporary interruption of gas supply service or by a blowing out of the pilot flame or the like,` the thermostatic strip will be quickly cooled and the main burner valve sprung to closed position to thereafter shut ot the escape of gas and prevent a re-lighting of the main burner until after the pilot flame has been ire-established. To reset the apparatus it is` only necessary to re-ignite the pilot name and pull out on the knob 38 so as to reengage the thermostatic strip with the rod end.

While I have herein illustrated a gas valve assembly, it will be understood that the various operating parts may be readily applied to the actuation ci an electric switch or other device. For example, the valve and seat parts may be replaced by electric switch contacts so as to obtain an opening and closing of an electric switch in the same manner as the valve is herein moved and operated. Similarly, the opening and closing action of either the valve or an electric switch may be readily reversed by rearranging the positions of the valve and switch parts to obtain a reverse opening and closing action upon longitudinal reciprocation of the rod.

I claim: A

l. A thermostatically controlled gas` shut-off valve comprising, a body formed with a valve chamber, a valve mounted in said chamber for movement to and from a passage closing position, spring means urging said valve to passage closing position, a valve stem connected to said r valve for movement of the latter to open posisaid center portion and in the direction of said rst strip end and being positioned and adapted to hook over said stem end to hold said stem in an axially displaced valve open position, said strip being mounted so as to ilex said strip end to .and from said stem as the strip is heated and cooled respectively whereby when cool said strip end will disengage and release said stern end for movement of said valve to closed position under the operation. of said spring means.

2. A. thermostatically controlled gas shut-oil valve comprising, a body formed with a valve chamber having a valve seat therein, a valve mounted in said chamber for movement to and from said seat. spring means urging said valve In such installations to seated position, a tube carried by said bodyrin alignment with said valve movement, a valve stern extending longitudinally through and slidably carried by said tube and projecting from the outer end thereof, and a bimetal strip having an end portion carried by said tube'across the longitudinal axis of .said stem and a. center portion bent at substantially right angles to said end portion and extending outwardly from said tube v able when cooled to retract its said end from said stem to permit closing of said valve under the action of said spring.

3, A thermostatically controlledl gas shut-off valve comprising, a body formed with a valve chamber having a valve seat therein, a valve mounted in said chamber for movement to and from said seat, spring means urging said valve to seated position, a tube carried by said body in alignment with said valve movement, a valve stem slidably mounted for longitudinal reciprocation in said tube and projecting from the outer end thereof, a bimetal strip carried by said tube adjacent said tube end and extending -longitudinally therefrom alongside of said stem, said strip having its outer end .offset in the direction vof said stem and movable when heated into a position hooking over the end of said stem when the latter is displaced longitudinally to open said valve against the resilience of said spring, said strip being operable when cooled to retract its said end from said sternA to permit closing of said valve under the action of said spring, and a casing secured to said tube and enclosing the outer end of said stem and said bimetal strip in a gas tight chamber.

4. A thermostatically controlled gas shut-o valve comprising", a body formed with a valve chamber havingJ a valve seat therein, a valve mounted for movementl to and froml said seat, spring means urging said valve to seated position, a valve stem extending from said body. aF

tube having one end thereof secured to said body concentric with said stem and extending from said body in surrounding relation to said stem, a bearing sleeve member connected to the outer encl of said tube and forming a longitudinal extension thereof and providing a sliding support for the outer end of said stem, said member having a shoulder thereon, a spacer member clamped between said shoulder and the end of said tube, and a thermostatic strip having a substantially straight central portion and an offset end, said strip end being perforated to surround said sleeve member and clamped in place by said shoulder to position said strip central portion substantially parallel to said stem, the outer end of said stem extending from said sleeve member, the

opposite outer end of said strip being offset in the direction of said first strip end to engage the outer end of said stem in a heated position of said strip when said stem is longitudinally displaced to open said valve, said outer strip end being retracted from said stem in the cool position of said strip to release said stem for movement of said valve to closed position.

5. A thermostatically controlled gas shut-off valve comprising, a body formed with a valve chamber having a valve seat therein, aV valve mounted for movement to and from said seat, spring means urging said valve to seated posit tion, a valve stem extending from said body, a

tube having one end thereof secured to said body concentric with said stem and extending from said body in surrounding relation to said stem, a bearing sleeve member connected to the outer endA of said tube and forming a longitudinal extension thereof and providing a sliding support for the outer end of said stem, said member having a shoulder thereon, a. spacer member clamped between said shoulder and the end of said tube, a thermostatic strip having a substantially straight central portion and an offset end, said strip end being perforated .to surround said sleeve member and clamped in place by said shoulder to position said strip central portion substantially parallel to said stem, the outer end of said stem extending from said sleeve member, the opposite outer end of said strip being oiset in the direction of said first strip end to engage the outer end of said stem in a heated position of said strip when said stem is longitudinally displaced to open said valve, said outer strip end 

